Lenz in Perspective

As far as Hoboken goes, Fourth Ward Councilman Michael Lenz is undoubtedly a political operative extraordinaire. 

But can he win an election?

In November, Lenz, 54, will face off against at least one other candidate—young newcomer Tim Occhipinti has announced his run—to represent the Fourth Ward, a political hotbed in the southwest corner of town. Home to high-rise condos and low-income public housing, Lenz calls the Fourth Ward the "most diverse, least serviced" ward in Hoboken, which is one thing he and his opponent agree on.

Lenz has carried the banner of reform in Hoboken for years, a local kingmaker who guided two of the last four mayors to office: David Roberts in 2001 and Dawn Zimmer in 2009, the two most recent mayors who did not face jail time. He understands the political landscape, knows the ward residents, and has expertise that the city needs, namely that he brings financial acumen to a cash-strapped town. But will that be enough?

In 2001, Lenz made an unsuccessful bid for the Fourth Ward council seat in a November special election, and he hasn't held an elected position since his tenure on the Board of Education in the mid-'90s.

"There is much more that is of common interest to the very different people in the Fourth Ward than there is that divides us," he said in an interview this week. After then-Council President Dawn Zimmer had to step in as mayor after Peter Cammarano's arrest, Lenz was appointed her ward successor. To keep the seat, Lenz has to win the special election in November, even though the term expires next spring and will require another campaign then.

Right now Lenz is focused on winning in November. "We have to stop accepting the false notion that we're second-class citizens," he said of Fourth Ward residents. The top three issues that his ward must address, Lenz said, are controlling flooding, managing development and open space, and maintaining public safety.

"If Sixth and Hudson flooded every time there was a high tide and a big rain, and not Fourth and Jackson or First and Harrison, the Army Corps of Engineers would have been building levees in Hoboken 25 years ago.

"If traffic down Bloomfield [Street] moved as quickly as it does on the 'Monroe Motor Speedway,' something would have been done long since," he continued. "If there were no parks in the First Ward, someone would have built one."

Fourth Ward campaigns have notoriously been highly-contested. It took Zimmer three elections to win the ward against young attorney Chris Campos in 2007. The ordeal included dueling lawsuits alleging misconduct by both candidates and the resignation of the seat by Zimmer after the runoff election and before a court-mandated third contest.

"I think part of the reason that [has] happened is that the Fourth Ward has been forgotten for so long that the residents have gotten very cynical," Lenz said. "It's been the dirty campaign."

When asked what promises he could make of a clean campaign, Lenz said he would discourage the use of absentee ballots unless necessary, especially for paid campaign workers.

Local sources have confirmed that some campaign workers in recent elections were paid $35 or more to cast an absentee ballot. Lenz said absentee balloting—the limitations of which were almost entirely tossed out by the state a few years ago—is routinely "abused."

Lenz, a former city Chief Financial Officer and currently the facility manager for 15 county buildings in the Meadowview Complex, said he is ready for the challenge.

Both public sector jobs came on the heels of elections where he played key roles, one for Roberts, the other for Councilwoman Carol Marsh's run for state Assembly on the county line. But Lenz denied that either job is the result of pre-determined political payouts.

"My focus was on winning [the election]," he said. "I have a negative view of political deals."

He was fired by former Mayor Roberts as CFO, although he won a $186,000 settlement (no punitive damages) as a result. Lenz has maintained that Roberts was willfully underfunding the city budget and said he put his foot down, which got him fired. "I stuck to my guns, was vindicated in the settlement, now [the city] follows the rules," he said.

His losing effort against Campos in the 2001 special election came less than a month after the 9/11 tragedy. "No one wanted to think about a special election, not even me," he said.  

Establishments like Leo's Grandevous, Big Banner Plaza, Home Run Cleaners, and The Little Grocery Store make the Fourth Ward a great place to live, Lenz said. He has resided there since 1996, though he first moved to Hoboken in 1981.

"There's much less street-life retail in the Fourth Ward," he said, claiming that the condo binge was a misguided attempt to solve the city's financial problems.

Lenz denies that he is in lockstep with the Zimmer administration and her council majority. He calls his relationship with Zimmer a "partnership" and says he has what it takes to stand up to this administration if need be. "Of course, yes, I would stand up, but I can't imagine that happening," he said.

Disagreements occur among what Lenz calls the "quote-unquote majority." But,  he added, "I'm willing to work on any issue at any time with anyone who's approaching it with an open mind. Certainly the majority can be counted on to do that."

So as the campaign approaches the November election, Lenz will plug away, but he'll have to wait until the ballots come in to answer the real question. That is: Can the kingmaker become a king?